Protesters stormed into Portland City Hall in 2011 to deliver petitions but the group couldn't get beyond a lobby security point. The protesters began shouting "City Council Come on Down!" Only Commissioner Randy Leonard (right) appeared.Jamie Francis / The Oregonian

If you haven't dropped by Portland City Hall in a while, know that it is changing under Mayor Charlie Hales.

Today marks the last day for one of two security guards who greets visitors at the Fourth Avenue entrance's gated checkpoint, installed under the direction of former Mayor Tom Potter. And rumor has it, those gated checkpoints may soon be on their way to the scrap heap, too.

It's all part of a subtle push from Hales' office to make City Hall feel more accessible. There's even talk of bringing back a coffee shop, or something similar, in the rented first-floor office space of a certain newspaper (ahem) and add food carts out front, an area currently occupied for nearly two years by homeless protesters.

Some who work inside the building aren't warming to the notion that anyone could walk in, fearing security repercussions.

That's what prompted Potter to beef up security in the first place, back in 2005.

"I felt security at City Hall and the Portland Building was totally inadequate," Potter, a former Portland police chief, told The Oregonian at the time. "The fact that nothing has happened here, I think we've been damn lucky. I don't want to wait for something to happen to make changes."

The latest security changes are tied to the city's contract with G4S Secure Solutions USA Inc. The City Council renewed the contract earlier this year, approving more than 6,000 hours a month in security at various city facilities, although the contract included several reductions. Two positions at City Hall have been cut.

City Hall's Fifth Avenue entrance is locked, and only employees with badges can enter. The Fourth Avenue side is open to the public and currently features three gated checkpoints and one security guard.

Abby Coppock, a spokeswoman for the city, said details of the changes are still being worked out. But asked if the changes would make City Hall less safe, she said, "I don't think so."